PHILIPSBURG--The case against a 39-year-old man held as one of two armed men who robbed the casino in Sonesta Great Bay Beach Hotel just before noon on September 18, 2015, and escaped with some US $200,000 in cash and cheques, was postponed Wednesday until February 24.
The Prosecutor’s Office is holding suspect W.R.H. as the driver of the getaway car. According to the Prosecution, he tried to flee in a gold-coloured Mitsubishi sports utility vehicle (SUV). Police officers fired shots as they chased the suspect. The suspect fled on foot in the direction of St. Maarten Zoo, leaving the SUV behind in the vicinity of BBW’s cement plant. Officers, including the K-9 unit, searched the area, but did not find the suspect at the time.
A considerable amount of cash was found during a search of the SUV and confiscated for further investigation. About half the amount is still missing, Prosecutor Gonda van der Wulp said during Wednesday’s preliminary hearing in this case.
In light of the postponement, attorney Geert Hatzmann requested that the Court suspend his client’s pre-trial detention. According to the lawyer, his innocent client had been used by the actual robber, who in the meantime has confessed his involvement in the robbery.
“My client is a gypsy and gave his co-defendant a ride. He has been abused as getaway driver,” said Hatzmann.
The lawyer said his client, who has a criminal record, had panicked when he heard gunshots and saw the police. “He knew the police saw him too. He panicked and fled,” said Hatzmann.
He claimed his client had never touched the money. “He has sworn that he never put one finger on the bag and the money in it,” said Hatzmann.
Fingerprints and DNA samples were taken, but the results of forensic investigations are still to be forthcoming from Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI).
The Prosecutor objected to the suspect’s release, as there were sufficient grounds for a prolonged detention. Van der Wulp pointed not only at the other suspect’s confession, but also at statements made by three casino workers who had been tied up, threatened and hit on the head during the robbery.
The Prosecutor said H. had been hiding from the police. After his arrest he first denied the allegations and then gave an “alternative” statement.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the robbery was an inside job, because it was committed on a day when the casino’s vault was open for counting.
After a short recess, the Judge decided that H. should remain behind bars.
